I know I will need a phone number for parents to reach me however I am not sure should I use... I am 100% sure I do not want to text parents and I do not want them to text me but other than that I am flexible.

a dedicated land line
- only $20 per month with my internet package
- already set up but I need to set up the voicemail
- pro in that parents cannot text me

or a

Google Voice line
- I think this is free
- calls can be forwarded to cell or home
- completely dedicated phone number instead of giving out what was once my house number

What are all of your thoughts? Suggestions?
When you call a Google Voice line does it indicate each call as a Google voice call?

I need to decide this ASAP as I need to start marketing for a January enrollment date.

I have used Google voice since I opened 3 years ago and I like it and it is free. You can control when you get calls and if you manage your contacts it announces the callers name. I also like the texting option. It has some nice features and I prefer it over my landline.

I would do google voice. Can I ask why you don't want any texting? It is the new norm for communication and I like the fact that I can keep them for reference if I need to remind a parent what they agreed to I also hate taking phone calls during the day, so a text is so much easier. Just curious on your thoughts!

Google Voice is now Google Hangouts. I've used it for several years and love it. You can direct calls to whatever phone number you want, have a separate outgoing message that people listen to when they call your Google number, you can block people easily and they hear a message like the operator message you get when a number is disconnected, you can turn call forwarding off at any time from a computer, clients don't get your real phone number etc.

I'm in CA in my state the regulations only say that we have to have a phone but isn't specific to having a landline so we ended up getting rid of our house line altogether since we mainly use cell phones. I love Hangouts/Voice. I know you said you don't want clients texting you but if you ever change your mind it works great. Texts come into it's own app which keeps your client texts and personal texts separate and you can now send and receive photos and it's all still free.

If you still don't want to text then you can just tell your clients that you get your calls forwarded to your cell phone but that you can't receive texts. If they still send you a text you can just ignore it and if they ask about it you can remind them that you don't receive texts etc.

As a third alternative, you might want to check out Ooma. I purchased the device. (Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4XMEYA..._P0vwybQA2EPVN) and the basic service is $5 a month. The basic service includes caller ID, voice mail, an app so I can listen to messages on my phone, and a bunch of other things. You plug the device into a regular phone and it works like a landline, with on the go features. I had to have a line for the daycare and found this was the best option.

As a third alternative, you might want to check out Ooma. I purchased the device. (Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4XMEYA..._P0vwybQA2EPVN) and the basic service is $5 a month. The basic service includes caller ID, voice mail, an app so I can listen to messages on my phone, and a bunch of other things. You plug the device into a regular phone and it works like a landline, with on the go features. I had to have a line for the daycare and found this was the best option.

Yes this is a great option and this is what we had before too. We weren't using it at all and I would just transfer my Google calls to cell phone so we stopped using it but it worked great while we used it. Calls were clear and the features were the same as Google Voice/Hangouts so this is definitely a good contender if you have to have a land line. I was even able to keep my old phone number when I switched from the old phone company to Ooma.

Google Voice is now Google Hangouts. I've used it for several years and love it. You can direct calls to whatever phone number you want, have a separate outgoing message that people listen to when they call your Google number, you can block people easily and they hear a message like the operator message you get when a number is disconnected, you can turn call forwarding off at any time from a computer, clients don't get your real phone number etc.

I'm in CA in my state the regulations only say that we have to have a phone but isn't specific to having a landline so we ended up getting rid of our house line altogether since we mainly use cell phones. I love Hangouts/Voice. I know you said you don't want clients texting you but if you ever change your mind it works great. Texts come into it's own app which keeps your client texts and personal texts separate and you can now send and receive photos and it's all still free.

If you still don't want to text then you can just tell your clients that you get your calls forwarded to your cell phone but that you can't receive texts. If they still send you a text you can just ignore it and if they ask about it you can remind them that you don't receive texts etc.

Oh hm I was told landline. Interesting. One thing to note if you use primarily cell phones, calling 911 will take WAY longer than if you had a landline (will forward you to county, will not have your address, ect). Could be the difference that saves someone's life.

I use my house number because we're required to have a landline anyways.

Like MarinaVanessa said it just states you need to have a phone line not a landline I do know local providers who only use a cell - most land lines are VOIPs which can have some of the same challenges with 911, the best way to avoid that is with a hard wired phone line but those are rare these days. That said, I am not planning on giving up a landline just not sure if I want my daycare line to be a landline or a google voice line.

Any cons to using your house phone? Pros?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

Google Voice is now Google Hangouts. I've used it for several years and love it. You can direct calls to whatever phone number you want, have a separate outgoing message that people listen to when they call your Google number, you can block people easily and they hear a message like the operator message you get when a number is disconnected, you can turn call forwarding off at any time from a computer, clients don't get your real phone number etc.

I'm in CA in my state the regulations only say that we have to have a phone but isn't specific to having a landline so we ended up getting rid of our house line altogether since we mainly use cell phones. I love Hangouts/Voice. I know you said you don't want clients texting you but if you ever change your mind it works great. Texts come into it's own app which keeps your client texts and personal texts separate and you can now send and receive photos and it's all still free.

If you still don't want to text then you can just tell your clients that you get your calls forwarded to your cell phone but that you can't receive texts. If they still send you a text you can just ignore it and if they ask about it you can remind them that you don't receive texts etc.

Your old post are one the reasons I am considering this!!! That said I do wish there was the ability for people to not be able to text at all like an on/off tool or something. A main reason I would consider a land line for the daycare is so parent do not text me. Is there any difference between Google Voice and Google Hangout or are they the same?

As a third alternative, you might want to check out Ooma. I purchased the device. (Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4XMEYA..._P0vwybQA2EPVN) and the basic service is $5 a month. The basic service includes caller ID, voice mail, an app so I can listen to messages on my phone, and a bunch of other things. You plug the device into a regular phone and it works like a landline, with on the go features. I had to have a line for the daycare and found this was the best option.

I have not heard of this but will certainly look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!

I would do google voice. Can I ask why you don't want any texting? It is the new norm for communication and I like the fact that I can keep them for reference if I need to remind a parent what they agreed to I also hate taking phone calls during the day, so a text is so much easier. Just curious on your thoughts!

I agree texting is the new norm of communication and with my friends and family I love it BUT as a teacher I find it distracting. Also just being honest here in a work setting I am a more formal person and I want parents to treat my program with the same respect they would a preschool/daycare center and I don't know any daycare/preschool center directors giving out their cell phone number and texting parents.

That said, I do see the benefits just for me the benefits don't outweigh that I don't want to text with parents..... who knows that may change but for now I want to keep my cell phone away and use the landline if needed during my business hours that way my attention and hands are screen free and focused on the children in my care.

I know I will need a phone number for parents to reach me however I am not sure should I use... I am 100% sure I do not want to text parents and I do not want them to text me but other than that I am flexible.

a dedicated land line
- only $20 per month with my internet package
- already set up but I need to set up the voicemail
- pro in that parents cannot text me

or a

Google Voice line
- I think this is free
- calls can be forwarded to cell or home
- completely dedicated phone number instead of giving out what was once my house number

What are all of your thoughts? Suggestions?
When you call a Google Voice line does it indicate each call as a Google voice call?

I need to decide this ASAP as I need to start marketing for a January enrollment date.

Thanks in advance.

Google voice can connect to more than one phone, so you can connect it to your land line and cell phone. On the cell phone and tablet, you can download an app and use that to reply to any caller vs going into the internet google voice account to dial and wait for your phone to ring.
When you get a call, it is like the old collect calls, were you hear a computer say "you have a call from...... (insert their name in there voice) do you want to accept" (or something similar).
You can set up a voice mail recording separate from your phone voice mail. "you have reached xx dc, our hours are x-x, m-f, please leave a message at the beep." The app will turn the voice message in to text that you can view in your app or get it in your email. (but sometimes people are hard to understand and you still have to listen to the voicemail)

Personally, I would use the google voice number and attach it to the landline only so I can set up a more business voice mail message. You can still use the app on your phone to view voice mails and to see any text that one may send even though you do not want them sent.

I dunno, I use my landline as my daycare phone and I still give out my cell# for texting cus I prefer to have proof of all our communications if I need it. I email a lot too.

My only con is people think I'm Sprouts the grocery store and get calls for that constantly lol, but that wouldn't change if I used google voice.

I guess another con is just getting phone calls after hours, if you can shut off your phone via google that would be great. But also, I kinda want to be able to talk to potential clients at all times. It's mostly people who are interested in openings who call since my parents have my cell#.

Google voice can connect to more than one phone, so you can connect it to your land line and cell phone.

Yes, this is one of the perks that I loved when I had a landline because I would set it to send calls to both my home and my cell phone and both would ring at the same time. For me this was ideal because I didn't have to carry my cell phone around while at home and I could go on a walk and just take my cell phone with me in case a parent called etc.

I have a google number and use the Google Hangouts app on my phone so I can just open the app, select a client from my contacts and call/text them as easily as I could with my cell. The settings take a bit to get used to but I like that there are so many options and I love being able to turn off any forwarding so if I go on vacation or after 7pm I can turn it off (on a laptop/computer) and I don't get bothered by any client calls/texts.

Yes, this is one of the perks that I loved when I had a landline because I would set it to send calls to both my home and my cell phone and both would ring at the same time. For me this was ideal because I didn't have to carry my cell phone around while at home and I could go on a walk and just take my cell phone with me in case a parent called etc.

I have a google number and use the Google Hangouts app on my phone so I can just open the app, select a client from my contacts and call/text them as easily as I could with my cell. The settings take a bit to get used to but I like that there are so many options and I love being able to turn off any forwarding so if I go on vacation or after 7pm I can turn it off (on a laptop/computer) and I don't get bothered by any client calls/texts.

I am playing with the setting now to check it all out. I do like the idea of being able to turn off at a certain time.

Yes, this is one of the perks that I loved when I had a landline because I would set it to send calls to both my home and my cell phone and both would ring at the same time. For me this was ideal because I didn't have to carry my cell phone around while at home and I could go on a walk and just take my cell phone with me in case a parent called etc.

I have a google number and use the Google Hangouts app on my phone so I can just open the app, select a client from my contacts and call/text them as easily as I could with my cell. The settings take a bit to get used to but I like that there are so many options and I love being able to turn off any forwarding so if I go on vacation or after 7pm I can turn it off (on a laptop/computer) and I don't get bothered by any client calls/texts.

So my phone will ring and i answer and it says i need to press 1 to accept the call but when i press it, it doesn't register....any idea what's going on????